ISS Spacewalk Under Way

Submitted by Arthur - N1ORC - Amsat A/C #31468
* ISS Spacewalk Under Way*
Expedition 9’s third spacewalk is under way. Commander Gennady Padalka
and NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke began the spacewalk at 1:58
a.m. CDT (0658 GMT) when they opened the hatch of the Pirs Docking
Compartment.
Padalka and Fincke will prepare the outside of the ISS for the arrival
of the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), which is a European Space
Agency cargo ship that will visit the Station for the first time next
year. The spacewalkers will install reflectors and communications
equipment needed for the docking of the ATV. Padalka and Fincke will
also replace several materials exposure experiment packages and a
thruster contamination monitor.
The spacewalk is scheduled to conclude about 8 a.m. CDT (1300 GMT) when
they close Pirs’ hatch. This is the 55th spacewalk conducted in support
of ISS assembly or maintenance and the 12th based out of Pirs. Also,
this is Padalka’s fifth and Fincke’s third.
NASA TV <http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/nasatv/> is providing live
coverage of the spacewalk.
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